End of School Year
Celebrate summer and all it brings, including the end of the school year!
ByJill Staake, B.S., Secondary ELA Education
Apr 17, 2024
The end of the school year is fast approaching, which also means the start of summer! Kids and teachers alike are counting down the days. These summer bulletin board ideas can help keep students (and you) engaged in learning until the very last day. There are bulletin boards that include beloved characters from Star Wars, Pac-Man, and even LEGO. We love a good play on words—and there is no shortage of that in these summer bulletin board ideas!
Want the cheeriest of end-of-year bulletin boards? Here are some basic supplies to get you started. Then check out our list of 45 summer and end-of-year bulletin boards below for inspiration.
- Cutouts: Flip flops | Hello Summer and beach cutouts | Surfboard cutouts | Pineapple cutouts
- Bulletin borders:Green grass|Summer bulletin borders|Sea bulletin border
- Accessories: Clothespins|Balloons|Tissue paper
1. Hanging Up Our Memories
Give each student a paper T-shirt cutout to decorate and fill with their favorite school-year memories. Then hang them up for all to admire on this end-of-year bulletin board.
Learn more: Kayla McKee
2. Almost Time To Pac-Man
This Pac-Man–themed bulletin board will be especially appealing to lovers of all things 1980s! We also love the adorable play on words.
ADVERTIsem*nT
Learn more: Anna Delegatto
3. An Un-bee-lievable Year
Create these adorable bees from construction paper or card stock, and then have your students write about what they learned this year.
Learn more: Bee Bulletin Board
4. Our summer bucket lists
Bucket lists are a popular end-of-year bulletin board idea, and it’s easy to see why. Have kids create colorful buckets and a list of what they want to do over the summer.
Learn more: Jeanne Corbett
5. A pocket full of memories
Reflecting on the year is a nice way to wrap things up. Let each student create a pocket, then fill it with slips of paper detailing their favorite memories of days past.
Learn more: Pocket Full of Memories Board
6. Let’s End the Year With a Bang
Kids absolutely love this end-of-year bulletin board! Put a student’s name inside each balloon, pop one each day, and then spend the day celebrating that student. You can also fill the balloons with fun activities (have class outside, hold a dance party, etc.).
Learn more: End the Year With a Bang
7. This Year Was Toad-ally Cool
What’s not to love about these paper-plate frog faces and lily pad memories? Older kids can write more details about their favorite memory inside the frog’s mouth.
Learn more: Toad-ally Cool Bulletin Board
8. If You Still Have Library Books …
Oh, those end-of-the-year chores! Help kids remember to return any borrowed books before the last day arrives with this clever kitty.
Learn more: Meow Bulletin Board
9. The Year Flew By!
Summer bulletin board ideas that also incorporate writing prompts are some of our favorites. Your students will have fun designing their kites and sharing what they loved about school this year.
Learn more: Kites Craftivity & Bulletin Board
10. Adventure Is Out There!
Inspired by the movieUp, this colorful end-of-year bulletin board shares where each student is heading next. Use it for seniors to show their college or work plans, or for younger kids to share what they hope to learn in the next grade.
Learn more: FHS National Junior Honor Society
11. Turning the Page
This fun book-shaped bulletin board highlights student work from the beginning of the year and the end of the year side-by-side so they can see how far they’ve come.
Learn more: Turning the Page Bulletin Board
12. All the feels about leaving
Help kids talk about how they’re feeling now that the end of the year is near. Emojis make this exercise fun. Have kids choose the one that suits them best, then write about their feelings on the second circle stapled beneath. See more at the link below.
Learn more: Emoji Bulletin Board
13. A Whale of a Year
Summer bulletin board ideas that showcase student artwork like these oh-so-adorable boats and whales are some of our favorites. While you assemble the different shades of blue for the ocean, you can have your students work on the watercolor and Epsom salts sailboats. Once those are done, have them get to work re-creating these adorable paper plate whales. Finally, piece it all together for a stellar summer bulletin board.
Learn more: Whale of a Year Bulletin Board
14. Just Keep Swimming
Be like Dory fromFinding Nemo and just keep swimming until you make it to the end! Don’t blame us if you walk around singing that little tune all day, though.
Learn more: Just Keep Swimming Board
15. Surfin’ Into Summer
This is such a cute way to include your students’ photos on your summer bulletin board. Be sure to add some beach-themed images like flip-flops and palm trees too!
Learn more: Surfin’ Into Summer Bulletin Board
16. Count down the days till it’s o-“fish”-ally summer
Swim toward summer with this simple but effective end-of-year bulletin board idea. Let students color in their own fish and help you change the count each day on the mini-blackboard.
Learn more: Ashley Hook
17. Say hello to summer
If you’re crafty, this is the bulletin board for you. All of the details in this summer bulletin board are just so adorable, from the multi-colored umbrella to the different shades of waves.
18. Oh, But What if You Fly?
This might take a bit more space than a regular bulletin board, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Made by students, each feather features their hopes, dreams, and wishes for the future. Assemble them into a giant pair of wings so students can pose for social media–worthy photos.
Learn more: What if You Fly? Bulletin Board
19. Dance with the fireflies
This camping-themed bulletin board is so cute. We especially love the paper plate tents and handprint fires.
Learn more: Favorite Bulletin Boards
20. Stay on target until the very end
It’s so easy to get distracted as the final school days arrive. This board reminds kids they still need to do their work and be prepared for class right up until the last day.
Learn more: Stay on Target Bulletin Board
21. Take a bite out of these cute pineapples
Certainly nothing says summer like pineapples in sunglasses! If you’re crafty, all you need to do is create this bulletin board from card stock.
Learn more: Summer bulletin boards
22. A berry sweet board
We couldn’t resist another fruit-themed end-of-year bulletin board since they are just so sweet!
Learn more: Berry Sweet Board
23. We R2 Excited for Summer!
This is definitely one of our favorite end-of-year bulletin boards. We love the math facts in the middle helping to count down the days.
Learn more: Tracy King
24. Read Something Cool This Summer
I scream, you scream, we all scream for … books! Tip: Paste two-dimensional ice cream cones (or Popsicles!) on the board and write or attach book titles on the scoops of ice cream. Another variation of this display, which we have yet to see, is to design an ice cream freezer in which each flavor is replaced by a genre or book title (Ex: strawberry = romance, cookie dough = adventure, etc.).
Learn more: Read Something Cool This Summer
25. Hang in there!
“Hang in there, we still have 20 days of school left” with two kids hanging upside down. What a cute idea for a countdown!
Learn more: Hang In There
26. Time to LEGO of the current year
Summer bulletin board ideas that also include a beloved children’s toy—yes, please! Your students will definitely get a kick out of the play on the word LEGO. You can save those Amazon boxes, cover them in dollar-store tablecloths in primary colors, and then add some small plastic bowls to the top to make the bricks.
Learn more: LEGO Bulletin Board
27. Inching Our Way Into Summer
Balloons make up this fun inchworm to count down the days until the end of the year.
Learn more: Inching Into Summer Bulletin Board
28. Rays of sunshine
This is the perfect bulletin board to leave up during the spring and early summer months. You can hand out yellow strips of paper and have kids write their own names on the rays while you create the smiling sun.
Learn more: Rays of Sunshine Board
29. Floating Into Summer
Have your students create top-view self-portraits of themselves on floaties for this adorable summer bulletin board.
Learn more: Michelle Gregg
30. Flip-Flop Into Summer
Painted footprints double as an end-of-year gift for parents to follow their children’s growth.
Learn more: Flip-Flop Summer Board
31. We Came as Strangers, We Leave as Friends
Photos taken throughout the year are displayed in this favorite end-of-year bulletin board idea.
Learn more: Tanisha Thompson
32. Keep it short and sweet
We love how simple this board is to re-create since all you will need is some construction paper and markers. It will be fun to see what words your students come up with as they reflect back on the past year.
Learn more: One-Word Reflections Board
33. Best Year Ever!
Keep it simple with this colorful display of letters and photographs.
Learn more: Katie Torres
34. Blast off into summer
Summer bulletin board ideas should be relatively simple like this one, since you’re likely tired and ready for a break! Give your students the rough shapes to create their rocket ships, then let them get to work. Then piece it all together.
Learn more: End of the Year Bulletin Board Ideas
35. Summer vibes
This is the perfect bulletin board to pull together last minute since you can just use some basic store-bought materials.
36. That’s a Wrap!
This bulletin board really ties in the current school year with the next since it includes letters of advice from current students to next year’s students. We especially love the cute play on the word wrap with the wrapped candies.
Learn more: That’s a Wrap Board
37. Have a healthy summer
While there are lots of summer bulletin board ideas for the main classroom, it is harder to find ones for specials like P.E., art, and music. This board is perfect to get kids thinking about healthy habits during the summer months.
Learn more: Health Activities Summer Board
38. Cruising into summer
Kids will love creating these cute little cars and will definitely get a kick out of seeing them on display. You can change the text to show any grade or simply say “cruising into summer.”
Learn more: Cruising to 2nd Board
39. End the year with a bang
Get ready for fireworks this summer with this fun door decoration to put up during the last few weeks of school.
Learn more: Connecting Teachers
40. Bright futures ahead
Find the coolest pair of shades you can and then photograph each of your students wearing them. While photographing them, ask them what they want to be when they grow up and include it with their printed photo. Finally, piece it all together into this adorable summer bulletin board.
Learn more: Bright Future Board
41. Going Out With a BOOM!
Use construction paper to make a fun palm tree and decorate with bright colors for an eye-catching end-of-year bulletin board.
Learn more: Palm Tree Bulletin Board
42. Up and Away!
Print out pictures of your graduating students and paste them to superhero bodies flying above buildings. Your students will get a kick out of seeing themselves as superheroes graduating to the next grade.
Learn more: Superhero Bulletin Board
43. Make the Days Count
For a fun countdown to summer break, use construction paper to make a large sun with rays. Write a number on each ray, and remove one ray every day until the sun is empty!
Learn more: Make the Days Count Board
44. Potterhead bulletin board
For all of the Potterhead teachers or students out there, decorate a custom bulletin board to commemorate the end of a great school year.
Learn more: Harry Potter Board
45. Miss You a Latte
This bulletin board is perfect for coffee lovers. Paste a giant Starbucks coffee cup on the bulletin board and let your students know you will miss them a “latte”!
Learn more: Latte Bulletin Board
Have more great summer or end-of-year bulletin boards to share? Come and post them in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.
Plus, End-of-Year Assignments and Activities for Every Grade.
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